You got the fevah yet?

Ironically, you almost want to catch Zappe Fevah, because once you get it there might be no turning back. The only known remedy for the fevah is more Bailey Zappe. So get used to it, folks.

The Patriots’ fourth-round rookie quarterback turned in another admirable effort in Sunday’s 29-0 win over the Detroit Lions, his first career start. Zappe completed 17-of-21 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown and an interception, good for a passer rating of 100. But his “interception” was really more of a bobble by Nelson Agholor on a pass that was right in his hands, so remove the INT and his passer rating jumps to 119.8.

Check your temperature. You might have the fevah now.

In actuality, it was a superlative all-around effort by the Patriots in the win. Especially from the defense, who shut out a Lions offense that entered the game as the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the NFL. According to ESPN Stats & Info (via Mike Reiss), Sunday marked the first time in history that a team averaging over 35 points in its first four games was shut out in its fifth game. It was also an excellent day for the running game, particularly Rhamondre Stevenson’s 161 yards on 25 carries.

But Zappe was impressive. Why? Because for the second straight week, he made sound decisions with the ball, avoided any massive at-fault mistakes, and generally kept his cool out there. That’s really all you can ask for from a rookie who entered the season as the third-string quarterback and was unexpectedly thrust into his first career game last week.

We’re still a long way to go from determining what exactly Zappe is and can be at the NFL level. But he’s showing the kind of poise that could keep him around in the league for a long time, even if it’s just as a backup. He may not ultimately have the physical talents to become a high-end starter, but he looks like a pro. And that’s a much-welcome development in New England.

“Bailey made a lot of good decisions, was accurate with the ball,” Bill Belichick said after the game. “Thought he showed some poise there at some pressure situations where he got out of it and found an open receiver, made good decisions.”

Added center David Andrews: “I thought he did a great job in managing the game, making the right calls and checks. Making the right decisions. He did a great job for us, made some big throws and did a great job protecting the football. He did a really great job.”

OK now you really got to check your temperature. Fevah?

Now, two weeks into this thing, coming off a “moral victory” in Green Bay and now a dominating win at home, you can sort of feel the Patriots rallying around Zappe. Perhaps enough for us to wonder if they’d be OK letting Mac Jones take as much time as he needs to come back from his high-ankle sprain.

Further … hasn’t Zappe kind of played better than Jones overall? He’s certainly protected the ball better. And especially when you look at how Jones has performed against the blitz and generally under duress, you can say Zappe has shown better poise.

“Yeah, I think I felt comfortable in almost really everything,” Zappe said. “Being able to practice with those guys, before and after practice, during practice, taking those reps with those guys. To be honest, I couldn’t really pick out one distinct thing, but I think really I felt more comfortable with really everything. To have my teammates around me, they helped prepare me a lot this week into Sunday.”

At this point, you probably need to pump yourself full of Nyquil and fluids. Because Zappe Fevah almost certainly has taken a hold of you by now. Good luck getting rid of it, because there’s a chance we only get more Zappe when the Patriots head to Cleveland in Week 6.

We’ll see what Zappe becomes in the big picture. He may be nothing more than a solid backup. He may be nothing at all. But right now, it sure feels like the Patriots have something cooking here with the kid.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.